Conducted periodically, the survey provides information on individual characteristics
of prison inmates, current offenses and sentences, characteristics of victims,
criminal histories, family background, gun possession and use, prior drug and alcohol
use and treatment, medical and mental health history and treatment, educational
programs and other services provided while in prison, as well as other personal
characteristics. Data are collected through personal interviews with a nationally
representative sample of inmates in state prisons. The survey utilizes a two-stage
sample
design in which prisons were selected in the first stage and inmates within prisons
are selected in the second stage.

The sample for the 2004 survey was selected from two different universe files: the primary file was a list 1,549 state prisons obtained from the BJS 2000 Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities as enumerated on June 30, 2000; the secondary file contained 36 prisons which had been opened between June 30, 2000, and April 1, 2003.The sample design was a stratified two-stage selection, in which prisons were selected in the first stage and inmates to be interviewed were selected in the second stage. In the first sampling stage, 14 male and 7 female facilities were selected with certainty based on the size of the facilities. The remaining facilties were separated into 16 separate strata based on the geographic region in which the facility was located and the male and female populations in each prison. The weighting procedure consisted of a base weight for each inmate, and three adjustment factors that produced the final weight for the survey. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with inmates using computer-assisted personal interviewing.

The questionnaire is modified with each iteration in order to capture information on evolving issues in criminal justice and topics of the greatest interest to users. Recent modifications include enhanced questions on medical and mental health histories of inmates.

The following publications and products were generated by BJS using data from this collection.

Prisoners in 2014
Presents final counts of prisoners under the jurisdiction of state and federal correctional authorities on December 31, 2014, collected by the National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program.

Medical Problems of Prisoners
Presents findings on state and federal prisoners who reported a current medical problem, a physical or mental impairment, a dental problem, or an injury since admission based on data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities.

Veterans in State and Federal Prison, 2004
Presents data on the military and criminal backgrounds of incarcerated veterans, uses new measures to describe their substance abuse and dependence histories, and provides a detailed measure of their mental health problems.

Firearm Use by Offenders
Describes firearm use of State and Federal prison inmates including types of firearms used, characteristics of inmates using firearms, why and where inmates used their firearms, and where they obtained their firearms.

Incarcerated Parents and Their Children
Presents data from the 1997 Surveys of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities concerning inmates with children under the age of 18, whether or not inmates lived with their children prior to admission, and the children's current care givers.